A Revivifying Escape to Santa Rosa

Cafe Japan is my frequent stop whenever I am driving from the Bay Area up to more northern parts of California. This is very very special sushi restaurant, which uses organic ingredients whenever possible and just has a wonderful, loving vibe.

The owners are incredibly kind and warm people and you feel this energy as soon as you walk in the door. The miso soup is superb. All the sushi dishes are fresh and vibrant, and an added treat is that the wasabi and soy sauces are usually made on the premises. Once you've tasted these condiments made organically as opposed to mass produced, you'll always want it that way. I often get a mini yo-yo which gives you 5 or 6 pieces of top grade nigiri sushi plus a small California roll, plus miso soup. A good deal for $10.50 given the organic health focus of the place.

Absolutely delicious appetizers, including my favorite, a bowl of burdock root (gobo) served in a sesame sauce. This tonic for the kidneys is very healthy but tasty too.

During the cooler weather they have warm noodle soups, saba, and udon which are delectable. I've often during rainy winters gotten a fish noodle soup which tastes as if it's made by the perfect Japanese grandmother.
So delicious, warming, and comforting.

Even their green tea ice cream is superb.

So be sure to stop by the next time you're visiting Santa Rosa like I do. It's only five minutes off the freeway.

Simply Chic might possibly be the most jam-packed-with-treasures clothing store I've ever visited. If I lived in Santa Rosa, I would be hard-pressed to keep myself from checking the store every few days for new arrivals and offerings.

I'm a real clothes horse and I enjoy going to consignment shops to find bargains. The problem is at most spots you have to hunt through a lot of junk to discover one or two finds. Not here.

To me, this is the used-clothing store I'd always dreamed of. The owner has a keen eye for absolutely fabulous stuff. She often has available the exact artsy labels that I love to wear and have trouble finding used: Ann Friday, Gustou t-shirts, Jane Doe shirts, Da-Nang pants, and more. All the clothing is well-organized, clean and color-coordinated so it's easy to find what you may wish.

She has a huge selection too of vintage sweaters and amazing leather jackets. Massive collection of scarves, jewelry, interesting designer jeans, great dresses. I could just go on and on, and indeed the store does go on and on. The place is such a treasure-trove of fantastic clothing that you should try to allow at least an hour to begin to go through it. It's hard to not leave with a huge armful of things. I could probably revamp my entire wardrobe with the colorful, well-made gorgeous stuff from here.

Be sure to stop in the next time you're in Santa Rosa, or even if you're just driving by on Highway 101, it's an easy stop, 5 minutes from the downtown freeway exit.